Meet Katie Hofstetter, a Severna Park mom of two daughters, oncology nurse turned SAHWM, and platinum brand partner of Young Living. After her husband Kyle was diagnosed with a rare type of liver cancer in 2019, she started looking for ways to limit the toxins in their home. After a lot of research, she found Young Living and realized it was the easy button to TRULY clean living. Fast forward four years later, Katie now has an incredible + supportive community of over 50,000 people on Instagram and 2,500 members in her Young Living business. Katie shares advice on how to make small changes toward non-toxic living, why you shouldn’t have mom guilt, and the one thing people are surprised to know about her.
Tell us a little bit about you and your family! Where did you grow up? How long have you lived in the area?
Hi! I’m Katie Hofstetter, a 33 year old momma to two (almost) 2 and 4 year old girls. My husband, Kyle and I grew up Howard County and moved to the Annapolis area following the footsteps of my older sister and parents. We’ve been here since we got married in 2016 and see ourselves staying in this area forever.
You’re a stay-at-home mom and a brand partner for Young Living. How did you get to your career today? Tell us how you started it all!
I’m actually an oncology nurse turned SAHWM thanks to Young Living and affiliate marketing. Our big story is my husband got diagnosed with a rare type of liver cancer in 2019 and after his first recurrence and the birth of our oldest daughter, I started looking for ways to limit the toxins we were bringing into our home – becoming a parent really changes your perspective on things, ya know? After a lot of research, I found Young Living and realized it was my easy button to TRULY clean living. The standards they hold their farms and products to are unmatched and it took the research out of clean living for me.
This was all happening while we were stuck at home in 2020 so I also decided to start sharing a little bit more of our life on social media. In the past 4 years, I’ve grown a wonderful and supportive community of 50,000 people on Instagram and 2,500 in my Young Living business. I was able to leave my nursing career to be home full-time in 2021 and am grateful to still be bringing home an income while being a present momma.
Clean living is so important these days with toxins in so many of our daily products. Tell us why we need to commit and make the switch to Young Living!
Isn’t it crazy the amount of recalls we see on products lately? I always tell people to check how clean their products actually are on sites like the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Most of the time, the products that are advertised as clean and have the pretty white and green “organic” packaging have hidden chemicals and fragrances in them that can still disrupt your hormones, flare up your asthma or contribute to headaches and migraines. I’ve received so many testimonies over the past few years from customers who have noticed palpable changes in their life from switching out their products. Whether it’s managing your hormones and PMS symptoms, becoming pregnant after years of trying, not having to use their allergy or asthma medications as often, or eliminating migraines, I truly believe your environment and the products you use play a huge role in this. If you want to learn more about Young Living products, you can create a free account to join our community and stalk our Facebook groups for all of the tips and tricks.
What advice do you have for us to make small changes in our houses toward non-toxic living?
Don’t put pressure on yourself to ditch all of your toxic products all at once because trust me, you will become so overwhelmed. I always recommend aiming to switch one product a month ie. get rid of those toxic candles and start using young living essential oils and diffusers, then the next month replace your cleaning products with thieves then the next, your beauty products. It feels more attainable and is more cost-effective to use up what you have before replacing it with the clean alternative.
How has your job shifted your perspective of Motherhood?
My parents are the best parents in the whole entire world but both worked solid 9-5 jobs raising us so that was kind of ingrained in my head that that’s how I would be as a parent, too. The fact that I have the opportunity to be home with my kids while they’re little is something I’ll never take for granted. My goal has always been to be home with them until they start school, but here’s hoping it lasts much longer than that!
What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I was a college basketball player at Shepherd University and held the record for number of 3 pointers in a season. I also got my Masters of Science in Nursing from Stevenson University in 2020 but never did anything with that degree…and probably won’t at this point 😅
What’s something you love that’s just for you?
Girls’ nights! Every month, my local group of girlfriends plans a night out to grab good food and drinks and it’s something I look forward to every month.
Best mom hack that makes your life easier.
Grandparents 😂 I know not everyone has this luxury, but my girls go to my parent’s house on Mondays and Wednesdays and those are my days to catch up on work and tasks around the house.
Name something you hope your children look back and remember about their childhood and you as their mama.
Just me being there. I never dreamed I’d be able to be home with them so I really look forward to being the mom who can help shuttle kids to sports and go on field trips and be there whenever they need me.
What’s your favorite family activity to do in the area?
We’re a big boating family so most weekends over the summer, you can find us at Dobbins Island on the Magothy River!
What have you learned from your children?
Don’t dim your light. I always say once you have kids, you don’t give a damn what others think of you anymore. I’ve found myself more in motherhood than ever before and love that I get to pass my confidence and excitement for life down to them.
Best advice for mom guilt.
Unpopular opinion: I never have it. Are your kids happy? Are your kids safe? Are you taking care of yourself on some type of level? Then you shouldn’t have mom guilt.
Who has most influenced you to be the mom you are today?
My sister (hey @allib44). She’s 5 years older so we were always at VERY different stages in life growing up but now we’re both in our 30’s and on an even playing field. She also has 2 daughters 2 years apart so I got a lot of practice with them before we had our own. My girls are also lucky to have older cousins who treat them like sisters!
As the new year approaches, it’s the perfect time to take the initiative and choose healthier products for your home and family. Katie has taught us how easy it is to shop with Young Living! You can browse her site HERE but if you have any questions on how to get started, be sure to reach out to Katie on Instagram at @homesweethof or via email at [email protected].
We love to support local businesses! What are your favorite local places to:
Get coffee: Rise Up
Go on a date night: Acqua al 2
Go out for a girl’s night: Level in Annapolis or Vida in Severna Park for tacos and margs!
Go out to dinner as a family: JB’s in Severna Park is the most family-friendly. Lots of TV’s and loud enough that no one hears our kids if they start screaming 😅
Shop for your kids: Whimsicality has the cutest kids section – great for gifts, too!
Have fun as a family: Friday mornings at the Edge in Stevensville ($10 a kid for 2 hours of play!)
Photography by: Kyle Hofstetter
